Death Games
by obsessedwithspike
Summary: BoothBones pairing. A serial killer is out for more than just blood as he makes Bones and Booth the targets for his Death Games... My first Bones fic.
1. Chapter 1

**Death Games**

**Chapter One:**

FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth stepped into the Jeffersonian , a manila file-folder clutched tightly in his hand. He had just received the latest case from Cullen, and upon reading it over, concluded that this would be a job for the squints. He immediately hopped into his black SUV, and was off to see his favorite Forensic Anthropologist. Walking into the lab, he was greeted by the squints, but, being a man on a mission, he got straight to the point.

"Where's Bones?"

Angela smiled at him, as per her usual perky self. "She's in her office," she replied, before taking a sip of her coffee.

He grinned back, and headed over to Brennan's spacious office, walking on in as if he owned the place.

"Hey, Bones", he said.

"Booth, I don't have time for another case," she responded, predictably, not even bothering to glance up from her computer, where she was so intently working.

"You say that every time, Bones," he told her, smiling.

"And I mean it every time. My boss just makes me go anyways."

"Yeah," he agreed, nodding. "And we both know that the same thing will happen this time, just like always. I ask for you to join me on a case-"

"-_demand_ me to join you on a case", she cut in.

He ignored her. "You say no-"

"-rather adamantly."

"And Goodman makes you do it anyways, for the good of humanity, and puppies, and mostly, for the lab's reputation. So why don't we just skip that part, since we both know how it will end, and go straight to the you helping me bit."

Bones looked up from her computer at last, to ask him "What do puppies have to do with anything?"

He grinned. "Come on, Bones, grab your coat. We've got a murder to investigate."

--

The drive to the park was relatively short, and was made even shorter by Booth's quick driving. When they arrived at the scene, Booth flashed his badge, and held the 'CRIME SCENE' tape for Brennan to duck under. They walked quickly over to a large oak, and stopped dead (no pun intended) at the gruesome sight before them. The body was strapped to the tree with thick rope, it's limbs splayed out in all directions. But, what made this sight particularly difficult to stomach was the fact that all of the flesh was missing from the corpse, down to the eyelids, leaving the hazel eyes constantly staring back at Booth and his partner. He shuddered.

Undeterred, Dr. Brennan quickly donned a pair of latex gloves, and walked right up to the corpse. Studying it, she announced, "Caucasian male, aged twenty-three to twenty-eight. Can't have been dead for more than a few hours." She studied the body a bit more closely. Her forehead creased in thought.

"What is it, Bones?"

"None of the muscles or tendons seem to be damaged."

"So this isn't just your hack-and-slash kind of killer."

She shook her head in the negative. "Whoever did this knew what they were doing. It wasn't random."

"Great. Just great," Booth replied, sighing. He pulled his cell phone from the pocket of his coat, and pressed speed dial. "Cullen, this is Agent Booth. It looks like we may have a serial killer on our hands."

--

Back at the lab, as Bones continued to study the body, she asked Booth "So what makes you think it's a serial killer? There's only the one body. Maybe somebody just had a grudge."

He watched as Bones squinted at something, and began to make small incisions in the side of the corpse with a scalpel. He cringed, and took a step back. "Not likely. Typically with grudges it's an act of brutality. It's messy and disorganized, no matter how 'well planned out' the person may think it is. This person knew what he was doing, you said so yourself. He waited until the park was empty, and he left the body where it would easily be found. If it was about a grudge of some sort, they would want the person dead, not hung up as some sort of trophy."

Dr. Brennan finished removing the small stitches she had noticed, that had been carefully placed in the side, and extracted the misplaced rib. She quickly cleaned the fluids off of it, and inspected the bone. "Not a trophy," she told her partner. "A message."

She held a magnifying glass up to it, as Booth stepped up behind her to look over her shoulder.

Inscribed into the Ivory of the bone were the words _'Let the games begin.'_

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_A/N Please Let me know what you think! Should I continue or not? My first Bones fanfiction, feedback is very much appreciated!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer- Okay, so here's my disclaimer for both ch. one and two. I don't own Bones, because wishing something does not make it true._

_A/N Thank you everyone who reviewed, it is very much appreciated! All of you were very kind, and are wonderful people for inspiring me to continue this story!

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**Chapter Two:**

It had been about a week since the first body had been discovered, when Agent Booth once again showed up at the Jeffersonian on a bright and sunny morning, dressed in a crisp navy blue suit, a grim look on his face.

"Bones," he said without preamble, noticing her with the squints in the main part of the lab. "Another body has been found. A twenty-nine year old woman by the name of Alicia Mackenna." He tossed a new file on the lab table.

"Well, if you already know who she is, then why do you need me?" Bones questioned.

"We want you to find out cause of death, and see if the killer perhaps left any clues, like last time," he informed her, referring to the inscribed rib.

Several men in dark 'FBI' jackets followed behind Booth, and laid a black body bag on the table alongside the file, before leaving as quickly as they had come. Zack Addy aided Dr. Brennan in unzipping it, revealing a perfectly normal-looking woman, save for the fact that she was dead. There were no marks on her pale flesh, no blood, nothing to indicate it had been anything but a natural cause of death.

Bones inquired about that as well. "What makes you so certain it was murder and not just a natural death?"

"She was found strapped to a tree outside of the bureau, much like the last victim. Typically, people who die natural deaths are sent to morgues, not hung out like macabre lawn decorations."

Hodgins spoke up. "But why would this guy want to venture so close to a federal building? I mean, if I was some Psycho killer I wouldn't exactly want to get caught in the act, you know? Crazy or not, prison can't be fun."

"Because he's not a Psychopath. He's a Sociopath," Booth informed him.

"And the difference is..." Jack prompted, motioning his hands in a 'continue' gesture.

"Psychopaths are murderers, but they're insane murderers. They kill because they feel that they need to, or because 'voices' tell them to, or simply because they can't fully comprehend the concept that it is wrong to take a human life. Sociopaths are perfectly sane human beings who simple enjoy the kill. They understand perfectly the difference between right and wrong, and they just don't give a damn. Sociopaths are more dangerous."

"Well, that's comforting," Hodgins said sarcastically.

Dr. Brennan ignored the two men's chatter as she concentrated on the task at hand. The body was in perfect condition, no contusions found anywhere. She looked over the victim's torso, and noted the fact that there was a small pink line down her chest, indicating that there was healing scar tissue. It looked as if it had been open heart surgery, judging by the position of the incision. That was unusual for a person of her age. She called for Zack to hand her the file that Booth had abandoned on the table. Looking over the victim's medical records, she noted that the woman had been in a minor car accident when she was a teenager, and had had her tonsils removed as a child, but besides that had been in good health. There was no record of any kind of heart surgery.

She once again took up a small scalpel, and began to cut into the body, carefully following the previously made mark. She thoroughly inspected the victim, before turning back to Booth. "I know the cause of death," she announced.

"Great," Booth replied. "And that would be what exactly?"

"The victim's heart was removed."

Silence followed these words.

--

After a moment of hush, Bones spoke again. "There was something else. This was found in the empty chest cavity."

She held up a small glass tube for Booth to see. There was a slim white piece of paper visible through it. Brennan extracted it, and read it over.

"Well?" Booth prompted. "What does it say?"

_"This Game has but one rule,"_ she read aloud.

"Wonderful," Booth said, frustrated, throwing his hands up into the air. "Not only do we have a deranged Sociopathic killer on our hands, but he's being all Mr. Cryptic to boot. Don't you wish all the bad guys would just turn up and say 'It was me! I did it!' instead of being all sneaky?"

Bones smiled. "I don't think that's how being a bad guy works. I think there must be some sort of a handbook saying that they have to at least _attempt_ to be sneaky bastards."

Booth grinned at her. "Was that a joke Bones? Gee, if I didn't know any better, I'd almost think you had a sense of humor," he teased.

"And if I didn't know any better, I'd almost think you used your head for something other than storing hot air."

"_If I only had a brain_..." He sang, grin still firmly in place.

Hodgins and Zack chuckled quietly, and Brennan looked to Booth curiously.

"The Wizard of Oz?" He said, brows raised. "Come on Bones, ringing anything?"

The confused look remained in place. "I don't know what that means."

Booth laughed, and smiled widely at her. "One of these days, Bones, I'm going to tie you up and force you to watch all of the classics, so that at least you will have _some_ sort of knowledge of pop culture." He shook his head. "I just don't get how you know so much about every culture but our own."

Bones didn't reply. Her mind was still occupied with the thought of Booth tying her up. She silently thanked whoever may be listening that Booth wasn't having one of those mind-reading moments of his. She didn't think her face could flush anymore than it already was.

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_A/N Okay, o how was that? I tried to make it a bit longer, even if it wasn't by much... And i just hd to add that little dirty thought to the end... grins Okay, so PLEASE let me know what you think. I even take criticism so long as it's done tastefully. Ta, luvs._


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer-Not mine, you know the drill._

_A/N- Thanks again to everyone who reviewed. You guys very much make my day! And warning people- Somebody dies. Just figured I'd give you a heads-up, but please don't let it deter you from the story.

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**Chapter Three:**

Booth had been on high alert ever since he realized how truly dangerous the killer was. Even the squints were wary, keeping their eyes out for suspicious happenings. Nearly nine days had passed since the last victim had been discovered, many of which Booth had spent with his Bones and her squints. He wasn't sure whether it was due to boredom, or if he truly considered them friends, rather than merely people whom he worked with upon occasion, and he really didn't want to analyze it. It was what it was, and he was content to just let it be. But he knew that that wasn't the only reason, as well. He had a bad feeling in his gut, which despite Bones's disbelief in it, had on many occasions proven to be right. And at the moment it was telling him that something big and bad and scary was going to happen, and to stick close to the people he cared for the most. Again, the fact that they were the squints? Not something he wanted to look at too closely.

As the end of the day neared, and people began to drift out of the Jeffersonian, Bones decided to head home as well. Concerned for her well being, despite the fact that she could kick just about anyone's ass, Booth announced that he would walk her to her car. She protested a bit at first, saying that she could handle herself, but finally conceded, and they headed out into the dark parking lot. When they reached her car, she noticed that the tires had been slashed, and though she would never admit it, she was glad that Booth had walked with her. It was creepy enough out here in the dark. Add a sociopath and slashed tires to the mix and it made it something out of a horror movie. All you needed was the ominous music.

When Booth noticed the damadged tires, his worry for the doctor doubled. He insisted on being the one to drive her home, and was relieved when she agreed without a fight. They slid into his black SUV, and began their journey to Brennan's place. The ride was comfortable, despite the killer hanging over their heads, as they enjoyed each other's company, occasionally arguing over music choices on the radio.

When they arrived at their destination, Booth walked with Bones up to her door, and waited until she unlocked it and was about to step inside before saying goodnight, and heading back to his car. He was half way there when he saw the light in her living room switch on and heard her startled scream.

His heart tripled it's pace when he heard that scream, and he raced back to her door in a matter of seconds. Stepping into the living room, his eyes quickly sought out Bones, visually checking her over, telling himself that she was okay when he saw no sign of injury. He sighed, relieved, until Bones clutched tightly at his arm, grabbing his attention. She was staring up at something, eyes wide with horror.

He followed her line of sight, and saw her. She was nailed into the wall, several feet off of the ground. A long knife ran through her forehead, and grey matter had mixed with her blood, staining her face. Her arms were spread wide, and on the inside of her forearms were carved the words _"Stay Alive."_ Booth felt his heart accelerate even faster, though he wouldn't have believed it possible. He knew the woman hanging before him. It was Rebecca.

"Parker," Booth whispered.

He moved like lightening to his SUV, and Bones followed right behind him, hopping into the vehicle as he started the ignition and put it into drive. He floored it, driving like a madman through the street-lamp lit roads, blaring his horn whenever anyone dared to get in his way, not caring that he was breaking a million traffic laws. His only concern was his son's safety.

Bones quickly dialed the number to get a hold of Cullen, and told him shortly to send agents to her place. When she snapped her cell phone shut, she looked to Booth, noticing the panic in her partner's eyes, and the white in his knuckles as he tightly gripped the steering wheel.

"Booth," she told him softly, "He'll be okay. I promise, he'll be okay."

He nodded once, afraid to do more than that, afraid that if he tried to speak that he would break down, afraid that if he so much as gave conscious thought to his fears that they would come true, that his son-

Bones unknowingly stopped his morbid thoughts as she gently laid a hand over his where it resided on the steering wheel. She could feel him trembling beneath her palm, and she wished more than anything that she could just take all that terror and fear away, because he had that look in his eyes, that look like small children get when they get lost in a theme park. She knew he was trying to be strong, that he was trying so desperately not to break down, for Parker, because they had a better chance of getting to him quickly if he could just keep a tight reign on his emotions. But God how she wished that he didn't have to be so strong. That just this once she could be strong for him. Because that helpless look he got on his face was killing her.

Booth slowly moved his hand from the wheel to curl his fingers around hers. He gave their fingers a gentle squeeze, and Bones smiled just a little, glad that she could at least offer him this comfort.

As soon as they made it to Rebecca's house, Booth put the car into park, and jumped out, engine still running. He moved to the door, and threw it open, rushing inside.

"Parker!" He cried, terrified of what he may or may not find. Terrified that perhaps his son was missing, or he was there but that bastard had-

"Parker!" He cried again, searching the house, still refusing to let his thoughts go there. As he moved into his son's room, he heard a small whimper come from the closet. He pushed it open, and saw his son. His beautiful little boy, who was there, and alive, and as he dropped to his knees to gather the child in his arms, he sobbed in relief.

Bones watched as Parker threw his small arms around his father's neck, clinging to him tightly as he too cried. Booth rocked him back and forth, trying to sooth him as he kept whispering his son's name over and over, like a prayer.

He was alright. His son was alright, just like his Bones had promised him.

He felt like he could breathe again.

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_A/N Okay, so how was that chapter? Please review, I have several hundred hits, but only a few handfuls of reviews, and even **I** know enough math to know that that doesn't equate... I even like tiny little reviews, just so that I know what you think... Pretty Please? With sugar on top?_


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer- Not mine. See? Short and to the point._

_A/N- Sorry it's short, I'm pressed for time nowadays. Hope you like! And Bones was SO cool tonight!_

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**Chapter Four:**

Booth had finally managed to calm both his young son and himself after about ten minutes, with the emotionally exhausted child falling asleep in his father's arms. He carefully cradled the boy, and carried him out to the still running SUV. As he approached it, Bones noticed as he decided what to do. He couldn't very well drive with Parker in his arms, and yet he wasn't willing to let go of the child yet either.

Bones found the solution for him. "I'll drive, Booth."

He nodded, grateful, and slipped into the passenger seat, as Bones took the wheel.

"Where do you want to go?" Bones asked her partner, as he leaned his forehead against the cool glass of the window, Parker's head cradled on his chest.

He stared out of the window for a few moments, watching the world rush by, the world full of people who were safe, and happy, and completely unconcerned about a serial killer on the loose, because 'oh no, it could never happen to them'. A world full of people blissfully ignorant. Sometimes he wished he could be like that. Have such innocence. Now, even his baby boy no longer had that. He had stared into the eyes of his mothers murderer. And for that, alone, he would kill the man. The Monster.

Finally he replied. "The lab. We need to call the squints, give them a heads up. Cullen will be contacting us soon to inquire about her, and then they'll want the squints to see if the FBI's forensic team missed anything…" There was a harsh tone in his voice as he continued, "I wish we could put it off, until tomorrow, but then tomorrow would come, and I'd want to put it off another day, and I'd just want to spend the rest of my life waiting for tomorrows…" He shook his head. "No. It has to be today."

Bones nodded, understandingly. It would be best if done quickly, for both Booth and Parker. Putting this off wouldn't fix anything. It would be like putting a band-aid over a GSW. It wouldn't fix anything, and it would just hurt all the more when you tore it off.

She mad the call to Angela, telling her to get the rest of the team and meet her at the lab. And Angela, hearing the strain in her friend's voice, made no argument, promising to be there shortly.

Next, she called Cullen, to inform him of where they would be. He too, readily agreed, and said that he would arrive after he finished up at the 'crime scene'.

She hated the fact that the 'crime scene' as he had called it, was her apartment. That twice now, Booth had been hurt there, both times in his attempts to try and protect her. The first time with the exploding fridge incident, and this time, with the mother of his child. And she knew that although Booth no longer cared for Rebecca, she was still Parker's mom. And this still hurt him, worse than any broken ribs ever could.

--

When they arrived back at the Jeffersonian, they walked slowly, trepidation evident in every step. When they finally made their way through the doors of the lab, they found themselves to be the focus of three pairs of eyes, all staring at them questioningly, until finally Hodgins asked the most foremost question.

"Why did you want us here?"

Angela's inquiry was short to follow. "And why is Parker here?"

Zack asked, "Is it about the serial killer?"

Still seeing the lost look in Booth's chocolate eyes, she decided to field the questions. "Yes, Zack, it's about the serial killer. We're here because another body has been discovered."

"It couldn't have waited until morning?" Hodgins implored.

Dr. Brennan shook her head in the negative. "No, it really couldn't have."

Angela spoke up. "Sweetie, you never answered my question. What's Booth's adorable little boy doing here? If a victim's going to be brought in, shouldn't he be elsewhere?"

Brennan looked at the floor as she answered, speaking softly, for fear the child would hear, even as he slept. "The victim was his mother."

There was a collective silence as this statement was made, broken, finally, by Angela.

"Oh my God… Booth, I'm so sorry… Oh, poor Parker." She looked to Brennan for answers once more. "What- What happened?"

She glanced at Booth to make sure that he was okay with the retelling of it, before answering. When he showed no sign that he wished her to remain mute on the subject, she spoke. "My tires were slashed, so Booth took me home. She was nailed to the wall of my living room, with the first and only rule of the so-called 'Game'. We went straight to Rebecca's house to look for Parker. Booth found him hiding in his closet."

"Shit," Hodgins swore. "You don't think the kid- That he saw whoever murdered his mom?"

A small voice startled them all. "The bad man took mommy."

Nobody had noticed that the child had woken, as he had stayed prone against his father, and they were all so intent upon their current morbid situation. The fact that the kid had witnessed his mother's abduction sickened them. Nobody should have to endure that, least of all a four year-old little boy.

Parker turned in his father's arms to look at the collected group. His eyes were moist and red from crying, but there was a strength in the warm brown orbs that mirrored his father's.

"You saw who took Mommy, Parker?" his father asked him softly, gently stroking the soft blonde curls atop his head.

Parker nodded.

"Can you tell us what happened, buddy?"

Again, Parker nodded, and began his tale…

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_A/N- Please review. And thanks to eveyone who has so far, I love you all, you are amazing!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer- Not my characters. Just my imagination._

_A/N- I'm sincerely sorry that it is taking me so long to update. I've been busy, as lame as that sounds, but it's the truth. In all fairness however, I am currently falling aslep at my desk trying to post this for you, so yay for me. I hope it's a decent chapter, but again, to be fair, it's after 1a.m. so... Oh, and the verbal mistakes are Parker's, not mine._

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**Chapter Five:**

"I was watching the T.V.," Parker began. "Lion King was on and Mommy said I could watch it while she was fixing breakfast. Then I heard a funny sound come from the kitchen, and it didn't sound like cooking, or Mommy dropping a bowl again. It sounded like when my friend Josh fell off of his new skateboard and it crashed real hard into the door when we was at his house. 'Cept this noise came a few times, and then I heard Mommy say something, but I couldn't hear 'cause Lion King was to the part where Simba was singing with Zazu, so I went over to see what Mommy was saying.

I only opened the door a little bit and I peeked inside, and there was a bad man there with Mommy. He had grabbed her arm real tight and his fingers pressed 'till they were white 'cause she had the vegetable cuttin' knife in that hand. I guess 'cause she was making omelets for our breakfast. And then he pushed her real hard, and she hit the counter. It hurt too, 'cause she cried out like I do when I skin my knee, and it made the slicing board fall on the floor, and it broke in two, and the bad man took the knife from Mommy.

She tried smacking him, so he hit her, like you said that you should never hit a girl Daddy. An' he kept hitting her, an' I wanted to go and help her, 'cause I didn't want Mommy to get hurt, but I was worried that the bad man would hit me too." His little voice was trembling, and his chocolate brown eyes were misted over with unshed tears, as he showed his Daddy how brave he could be. "And then Mommy started crying, and he kept hitting her, and then he held one of her arms up and started cutting her with the knife, and it bled, and it was lots more blood then I ever sawed before. Mommy screamed when he cut her, and I didn't ever hear Mommy scream like that before. I heard a lady scream like that on the T.V. once, but that was a scary movie that Mommy said I shouldn't watch." He looked up at his father, imploringly, asking with such a degree of innocence, it was dumbfounding. "When did life become like a scary movie Daddy? Why can't it be happy?" Booth stared back at him for a moment, trying to find the right words to say, but to no avail. When the boy realized that his father had no answer for him, he went back to his story telling.

"He cut on her other arm too. And I think they looked like letters from the alphabet, but I don't know many words yet, so I'm not real sure. Mommy was crying a lot more after he cut her, and she kept asking him not to hurt her, but he wouldn't listen. Why wouldn't he listen? He kept hurting her, and he hit her some more, and she was bleeding from his hitting, and Mommy screamed some more, and the man yelled, and he started to walk to the door where I was at, pulling Mommy with him by her arm. 'Cept he didn't see me yet, and I was real scared of the bad man, so I ran away, and I hid from him, like you always told me to, Daddy, and I waited there for a real long time, until you came and found me. You and Bones. You saved me."

The room was collectively trying to stay professional, and not allow the boy's testimony to affect them emotionally, but it was a very difficult task, with the way he had spoken of such violence in such a frightened, childish manner. After a rather pregnant pause, in which they attempted to corral their array of thoughts and feelings, Bones finally spoke up.

"Can you tell us what the bad man looked like, Parker?" she asked, her voice surprisingly soft.

Parker nodded his small head vigorously. "Uh-huh. He was real tall," he explained, stretching his arm upwards to demonstrate, "And he was wearing real dark clothes, and he had light brown hair and a tattoo on his hand."

"You saw his tattoo, sweetie?" Asked Angela. A tattoo wasn't much, but it was definitely a start.

"Yep. It looked kinda like King Triton's fork thingy 'cept with a cross on it."

Everyone looked to Booth to translate the kid-speak, none of the squints understanding the child's pop-culture reference.

"You know, King Triton, Ariel's dad?" The stares remained blank. "The Little Mermaid? It's a Disney film…" Still nothing. He sighed. He motioned to Angela's sketch pad, and asked for her to let him use it for a moment, and she complied, handing it to him. He quickly drew what his son had describe, and asked Parker, "Is that what it looked like?"

"Uh-huh," Parker replied.

Bones moved closer to her partner to take a look at the quick sketch, and frowned at what she saw. 'It's Sumerian," she told them.

"Huh?" Booth questioned.

"It's an ancient Sumerian symbol. It means killer."

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_A/N- Okay, so let me know what you think, please, any thoughts are welcomed. I very much appreciate everyone who reviewed last time, and I am sorry for not replying personally to your reviews, I will try to fix that error this time. Ta, luvs!_


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